


A Strange Holiday

by tititenis



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, F/F, F/M, Gen, Holidays, Modern Era, asami is an engineer, based on a movie, film and music references, katara is an actress, katara is the grandma we all want to have, korra is a film composer, korra is a film geek, mako bolin and asami are like family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:55:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21844783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tititenis/pseuds/tititenis
Summary: Asami Sato works in Sato Corp, a company that has been a part of her family since she can remember doing all she can to honor her parents and their vision. Yet, when something forces her to step away from Sato Corp, she finds this website where she can switch houses with a stranger and selects the house of Opal Beifong, a trailer producer who also needs a break from her routine life in L.A.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Asami/Varrick, Bolin/Opal (Avatar), Korra/Asami Sato, opal/kai
Comments: 7
Kudos: 69





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi All! 
> 
> I don't know if someone has already done a Korrasami fic with this idea (haven't found one myself), but I recently watched the movie and I wanted to do a story with Korrasami in it so this short fic came to life! 
> 
> Hope you like it!

Asami Sato had not had an easy life. Having the Sato last name had always meant that people expected great things from her. Her parents, who unfortunately passed away a couple of years ago, had been pioneers in the prosthetic business and had created Sato Corp., one of the biggest and most important prosthetic companies in the world. 

A legacy that Asami was determined to help expand and grow. 

Yet, many in the company thought that she got her position because of who her parents were. That she wasn’t as talented as her parents were and that she was at the company just because of her last name. 

Which only infuriated Asami even more and made her want to prove to them that they were wrong about her. 

That she deserved to be there. 

Lucky for her, an opportunity appeared in the hiring of Iknik Blackstone Varrick, a man who had approached Asami with a project that would finally show everyone at Sato Corp. that she was just as good and talented as her parents were. 

She knew right from the start that the project was not going to be an easy one. They had given Varrick an impossible task: To create a new prototype for their leg prosthetic line that could use less materials and hence lower the cost of production while maintaining the good quality of the product. 

Which meant to Asami and Varrick that they would need to redesign the prosthetic in hopes that in the process they could find ways to replace or exchange materials. 

All those months of trial and error, of long nights in the office, of theorizing and sharing her frustrations and dreams with Varrick had made Asami see the older man as a close friend. Which then turned into a crush. A crush that had made Asami realize that she was interested in Varrick as more than a friend. 

And Varrick wasn’t oblivious in his interest either. 

But, because they needed to focus on the project, the two of them had decided to pretend that nothing was happening. To just continue working as partners and to finish their project by the deadline.

A deadline that was today. 

“Asami, you need to relax.” Mako tells her for the fifth time. 

“You keep going around in circles and it’s making me dizzy.” Bolin adds. 

This makes Asami stop walking. 

“I’m sorry.” she apologizes. “I just… This is a big deal for me. If they approve the design, it will show everyone that I deserve to be in this company. That I didn’t obtain my position because of who my father was. That I have the talent to succeed him.” 

_It will also mean that I can finally confess my feelings to Varrick as well…_

“We understand that.” Mako smiles. “And that’s why we are behind you one hundred percent.” 

“We are!” Bolin agrees with his brother. “We just, we haven’t seen you a lot since you took the project and we were, you know, concerned.” 

Mako and Bolin were Asami’s closest friends. Her parents had hired them when the two young men tried to steal one of their cars, and instead of turning them over to the police, her father had offered them a job at his company. 

While Asami had not approved at first, she quickly realized that her father must have seen the talent and goodness the two men possessed. And, when her parents passed away, Asami knew that making it through would have been harder without the love and support of Mako and Bolin. 

The two of them were the two younger brothers she never had. 

“I know, but when this project gets approved, we will be able to catch up! I’m just really anxious about it.” 

“I can see that.” Mako says suspiciously. “And it makes me wonder if that’s the only reason why you’re like this.” 

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that there have been some rumors going on about Varrick and you…” 

“Rumors?” Asami asks. 

“About the two of you being closer than coworkers…” Bolin further explains. 

Asami doesn’t respond and that’s enough for the two men to know that there was truth to the rumors. 

“Asami! How could you?!” Mako tells her worriedly. 

“How could I what? We spent a lot of time working together and we realized we had a lot of things in common.” Asami starts to explain. “I don’t know, I just fell for him.” 

Mako closes his eyes. 

“Why is that so wrong?” Asami asks and this gets her surprised looks from Mako and Bolin. 

“You mean you don’t know?” Bolin whispers and is ready to say more before being interrupted by their supervisor, who must have finished his meeting with Varrick. 

“Everyone! Your attention please.” Lin Beifong says and waits for the room to quiet. “Many of you are aware of Mr. Varrick’s hiring in hopes of updating our prosthetic line to more accessible and durable materials. To be honest, many of us were expecting Mr. Varrick to say he was unable to find a solution. Yet, in my hands I have the approved designs for our new prosthetic line!” she smiles softly at the congratulations and claps being directed their way. “Mr. Varrick, we are really happy with the changes and improvements you have made to the design of the leg prosthetic and we are excited to apply these new designs to our new line of 2020.” 

“Amazing!” Mako says to Asami while squeezing her shoulder. “Congratulations!” 

“Thank you.” Asami smiles brightly. 

_We did it._

“Thank you all. Now, Mr. Varrick, come say a few words to the staff about what to expect of the new design.” 

“Of course.” Varrick steps forward and gives Asami a wink. “As Miss Beifong said, I didn’t think I would be able to find a way to improve the already very good designs of Mr. Sato.” he explains. “But after many restless nights and many trials and errors, I was able to come up with a design that not only saves on materials, but that also allows users to customize their prosthetic to their individual wishes.” 

_Why… Why is he not naming me? Why is he saying that he is the one that came up with the customization idea? I was the one that thought of that…_ Asami thinks while watching the way Varrick was smirking and smiling at the attention. 

“But! None of this would have been possible without the support of a very special person! This person was my pillar and my solace during the long nights. My confidante and my number one supporter. The one that told me to not give up and to keep trying to find a solution.” 

_Finally…_ Asami smiles and is on the tip of her toes to stand up and go stand next to Varrick. 

“My wife, Zhu Li!” he exclaims and Asami watches a short woman with glasses make her way to the front of the room. 

A wife. 

He has a wife. 

He lied to me. 

“Asami…” she hears Bolin’s concerned voice ask and it’s all she can hear before having to rush out of the room into one of the extra offices. 

She was not going to break down. She was not going to give Varrick the satisfaction of watching her cry. 

No way. 

Closing her eyes and doing her best to count to ten, Asami used one of the many techniques her mother had taught her to control her temper. 

_“Do not speak when bad emotions are in your head, Asami. Take deep breaths and count to ten. And if it does not work the first time, count again.”_

Varrick had lied to her. He had used her to create the design that he was now claiming he was responsible of making. Not only was he wrong, but the situation had been the opposite. Many of the ideas that made the final design were ideas Asami had. 

And to see him take credit so bluntly… 

It made Asami’s anger rise even more. 

_Knock, knock…_

“Give me a minute.” she says and counts to ten one more time before standing up and opening the door, only to see Varrick smile at her and make his way in. 

“My dear Asami.” he says happily. “We did it!” 

“From the way you said earlier, everyone thinks you did it.” she responds. 

“Oh, you know, I did it that way in case Beifong didn’t like the design. That way your name and reputation were not on the line.” 

“Bullshit. You knew the design was good. You just wanted to take the credit for it.” Asami says bitterly. 

“Oh Asami, don’t say things like that. You know I’m only protecting you. Besides, this was the first design. It won’t be the last. And next time, when I’m the one supervising the job, you’ll get the credit.” Varrick says happily. “Today was my turn. Tomorrow will be yours.” 

“You lied to me.” Asami whispers. “About everything. You didn’t even tell me you were married!” 

“I didn’t?” he asks. “Must have slipped my mind.” 

_He’s lying…_

“You know Asami, we worked really well together. Beifong was really happy with the product and she promised me she will send more designs soon. I hope that in future projects you will be just as involved as in this one.” he grabs her hand and Asami does everything she can to not flinch at the touch. 

Instead, she moves her hand away. 

“We’ll see.” Asami whispers and turns away, barely managing to not hit the man in the face. 

Asami had been played and she had lost. 


	2. A Crazy and Sudden Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angry and bitter about what Varrick had done, Asami realizes she needs to step away from it all.

“I will kill him!” Mako says while punching his sandbag furiously. “That asshole!” 

“I’ll hold him.” Bolin mutters while kicking his sandbag. “I mean, I can’t believe he stole your design and used your feelings for him to blindside you into reporting the designs to Beifong.” 

“Bolin…” Mako says and that’s when Bolin realizes he has said more than what he should have. 

“Oh, I’m sorry.” 

“You’re right.” Asami closes her eyes. “He manipulated and used me to further his career. And he then had the nerve to come and tell me that today was his turn and not mine!” she screams and starts punching the sandbag desperately. 

“Asami, stop.” Mako warns her when he sees how out of control Asami is. “You will…” he stops when Asami slips and falls to the ground. “Hurt yourself.”

“Fuck.” Asami cries bitterly. “Why does this always happen to me?” she stands up. “Why do I fall for assholes all the time?!” 

“Because you like bad guys?” Bolin jokes and gets himself some stern looks from Asami and his brother. 

“Because you try to see the good in everyone.” Mako grabs her hand. “It’s one of the main qualities your parents had and one you have as well.” 

“Basically I’m naive.” Asami groans. 

“I wouldn’t say naive. I would say more innocent than naive. And Mako is right, it’s not your fault that Varrick took advantage of it.” 

“But it’s not right.” the black-haired woman says. “What he did, it’s not right.” 

“But what is there to do? He was your supervisor and he was given the project by Beifong. You could go talk to her about it, but it’s his word against your word.” Mako says. 

“Are you saying Beifong won’t believe me?” 

“I’m sure Beifong will believe you. But there are many above Beifong that we know underestimate you and don’t want to see you succeed.” 

This makes Asami close her eyes. 

Mako was right, while Beifong may believe her, many members of the board were probably going to side with Varrick. And her losing her credibility in such a way was going to be the right excuse they needed to fire her. To get rid of the last Sato member and to finally take control of Sato Corp. 

Asami was not going to let that happen. 

“Then I don’t know what to do. I just can’t go back to that office and pretend that nothing happened!” she says. “That’s not the person my parents raised me to be. That’s not who I am.” 

“We know that.” Bolin squeezes her shoulder. “And you will always have our support. But we need to be smart about this. We need to find a way to make people realize that Varrick stole the design from you. We need to show everyone that he cannot do what that design shows.”

“That would take months! And he told me that Beifong will be sending him more designs soon. And I’m sure he will be able to find someone else at Sato Corp. that can help him make those. With mine as the blueprints, he just needs to emulate and adapt those to specific body parts.” 

“He really thought about this.” Mako groans. “Honestly, I know it doesn’t sound too promising, but we will find a way to make this right. You just need to hang on until then.” 

_ I just need to hang on…  _

“Yeah…” Asami smiles sadly. “I’m sure we will figure it out.” she starts to head out of the room. “I know the session is not over yet, but I no longer feel like kicking the shit out of the sandbag. I’ll head home.” 

“Alright.” Bolin hugs her tight. “Please let us know if you need us.” 

“We will always be there for you.” Mako promises her. “We are family.”

“Thanks Mako. Thanks Bolin.” Asami hugs them back. “I’ll see you tomorrow at the office.” she lets them go and starts heading back to the locker rooms. 

_ I can’t go back to that office and pretend nothing happened.  _

_ I just can’t…  _

* * *

_ I said I can’t go back…  _ Asami thinks while staring at her computer screen…  _ But there’s not a lot I can do about it.  _

Asami had felt defeated after leaving the gym. The more she thought about Varrick, the more upset she got about her crush and how he had manipulated the feelings she had for him to get himself a better position at Sato Corp. Not only had he used his charm to get her to trust him, but he had avoided to mention his wife to make Asami believe that he was single. 

To make her open up to him even more and hand him the designs and meetings’ notes. 

Asami had been played perfectly by him and that was what was making her be so mad. 

“I know that if I go to the office feeling like this I will explode and ruin everything.” she says to herself. “Which means that I need to get out of here. I need to go far away.” she starts typing on her computer. 

**_Places to spend a vacation._ **

Pressing the enter keyboard, Asami starts seeing typical destinations like Bora-Bora, Cancun, Paris… 

“Damn it, all of them look so happy and the last thing I want is to go to a happy place.” she mutters and continues typing. “I need something discreet, someplace where I can live my normal life and just get away from London without actually going on a vacation.” 

**_Travel Rentals: Find your Home Away Home_ **

“This looks interesting.” Asami clicks on the link and a new window opens with the program’s description. “Choose a place where you want to go to. Well, they need to speak English. So United States.” she clicks her selection. 

**_Choose the city you want to stay in._ **

“I want somewhere that is quiet but where there is also activity going on.” Asami thinks of cities that fit these parameters. “Maybe Chicago.” she clicks on the link and sees that the only places available are in the city. “No, that’s not as far from the city as I want to.” 

**_L.A._ **

“Maybe L.A. can work.” she murmurs and clicks, immediately noticing a big house with a fence. “L.A. house that is located outside the city area. House has everything you need to have a comfortable stay. Gym, pool, movie theater, library, kitchen.” she scrolls through the pictures and the place does look amazing. “Nearest town is car distance away and not many people live in the neighborhood.” 

_ This place is what I’m looking for!  _ Asami thinks excitedly and clicks on the link. The moment she does, a conversation window opens. 

“Guess that means I need to start typing.” she says to herself and thinks of what to say. 

_ “Hi there, I’m interested in renting your house and I was wondering if it’s still available? I know this is sudden, but I was wondering if it would be available for Christmas, because if it is, you would be a real life saver.”  _

Asami clicks the send button and waits for the person on the other side of the screen to respond. 

A response which she gets almost immediately. 

_ “Hi there! I’m interested in renting you my house. Only thing is that this is a home exchange, which means that we would be switching everything: Houses, cars, etc. I haven’t done it before, but many friends of mine have.”  _

“Kinda like switching lives.” Asami murmurs. “Right now, that sounds very appealing.” 

_ “Also, where is home for you?”  _

_“London.”_ Asami types back. 

_ “I’ve never been! Always wanted to go. I’m Opal, by the way.”  _

_“I’m Asami.”_ she types back. _“Nice to meet you. I know what I will ask you is very personal, but I can’t help myself from asking you this… Your house is beautiful, really something.”_ she continues typing. 

_“It makes me wonder why you would rent a place like this.”_ she finishes and sends her message. 

_ “I placed my house on this website because I really need to get away from L.A. Something happened and I just don’t feel like staying here for a while. And I don’t know, my friends all said great things about this home exchange program and I wanted to give it a try. I know most places won’t be like mine...”  _ Opal continues typing. “ _ But that’s exactly what I need. I mean, as long as your place is nice.”  _

_“My place is nice.”_ Asami promises. _“A little smaller than yours, but I think you will like it.”_ she types. _“And I can understand that feeling of wanting to just step away from everything and get some space to think. That’s why I clicked on the link.”_ she jokes. _“I know you said that you live away from the city, but I wanted to know, are there any men in your neighborhood?”_

The last thing she wanted to even think about was men or dating. She anxiously waits for Opal’s response. 

_ “Zero.”  _

Yes! 

_“When can I go?”_ she types excitedly. 

_ “Is tomorrow too soon?”  _

Tomorrow! 

It was so soon. She had to let Mako and Bolin know, she had to let the office know that she wanted to use her vacations. She had to organize everything. 

She had to… 

_“Tomorrow is perfect!”_ Asami types back and lets go of all the doubts and hesitations she has about this. 

Asami knew that if she gave herself time to think about it, she was going to discourage herself from taking the trip. She was going to give herself excuses and was going to do what she did best. 

Stay quiet and wait. 

Something that Asami was tired of doing. 

She was doing this.

She was going to L.A.


	3. Arriving to L.A.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami arrives to L.A. and receives an unexpected but very welcomed guest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Korrasami!

Asami already knew what Opal’s apartment looked like. She had seen the pictures on the website and Opal herself had said that the place was big. But the moment she stepped inside, it made Asami realize that this place was something else. 

Opal had simplified things in her description. 

The pool, the gym, the kitchen, the rooms, the home cinema studio; it was more than Asami would have needed to be comfortable and yet she felt giddy about the fact that this house was going to be _her_ house for the next three weeks. 

In fact, she felt like a child that had gotten a new toy. 

Putting her workout clothes on, Asami knew she needed to tire herself out before trying to head to bed. Luckily, Opal’s assistant had showed her where things were before she left and had been nice enough to stock her fridge with the basics. 

Going to the treadmill, Asami puts some music and starts running, not thinking about anything apart from her breathing and her steps. For the first time in a long time, there was nothing worrying Asami and that was something she was now realizing had been missing from her life since her parents’ passing. 

Increasing the speed to start sprinting, Asami wants to focus all her negative feelings and emotions on her steps, to feel them being left behind. Because she had been too frustrated with Varrick and how he used her, Asami had only been thinking about ways to expose what he did to her. 

But perhaps exposing what he did with the design wasn’t the only way to uncover the truth. 

_ Ring, ring.  _

Stopping the treadmill, Asami is surprised at the fact that someone was ringing the fence's doorbell. Curious about how this was going to work, Asami grabbed the ‘introduction folder’ Opal’s secretary had given her and started pressing buttons to see which one worked. 

“Hi?” she asks after hoping she pressed the intercom button. 

_ “Hi!”  _ a woman’s voice replies. “ _ My name is Korra and I came here to pick up Kai’s laptop.”  _

Kai? Maybe he’s one of Opal’s friends. 

“Give me a second and I will let you in.” she responds and starts pressing buttons again, getting more confused when she realizes she needs to press them in a specific sequence to open the door. “Fuck.” 

Asami mortifies when she hears Korra laughing. 

“Oh my God, I’m sorry you heard that!” she apologizes to only hear Korra’s car accelerating. 

_ Guess that means I opened the fence _ , she thinks before heading out to meet the stranger. 

The moment she steps outside, Asami notices that the woman that was stepping out of the car was not what she was expecting her to be. 

Well, she didn’t have a lot to go on with her voice, but she was not expecting Korra to be such a beautiful woman. 

“Hi.” Asami says to stop herself from looking too much. “I’m sorry about the fence thing. I’m new to it and I have no idea what buttons to press.” 

Korra chuckles. 

“I found it funny.” she smiles. “Also, sorry I just stopped by so suddenly, but since I was in the area I thought I could get Kai’s computer. Is Opal around?” 

“Opal won’t be around for the next three weeks.” Asami explains to her. “She’s in London.” 

“Wow.” Korra says surprised. “I didn’t think she was going to do it, but it seems like she actually did it.” she smiles at Asami. “I’m Korra Waters by the way. I work with Opal as one of her film composers. In fact, that’s how I know Kai. We work together.” 

“I’m Asami Sato.” she squeezes Korra’s hand. “And film composing, that’s awesome.” she focuses on the music coming out of the car. “Was that something you composed?” 

“It is actually!” Korra smiles. “I’ve been trying different sounds and I just wanted to listen to it outside of the studio.” 

“It’s beautiful.” she compliments honestly. 

This makes Korra blush. 

“Thanks Asami.” she chuckles when a gust of wind makes Asami flinch. “Did it get you?” 

“It did.” Asami laughs. “Damn, L.A. wind is really something.” 

“Guess it’s not like that in London?” Korra gets closer to her. “Want me to take it off?” 

“Yes, please.” she hesitates a couple of seconds before accepting the woman’s help. “And London is very foggy.” 

Korra laughs while blowing on Asami's eye to push the dust piece away. 

“There, got it!” Korra says happily and it seems like just then she notices how close the two of them are, which makes Korra blush and move away. 

“Thank you.” Asami blushes as well. 

_ What the hell was wrong with her?!  _

“Of course. And since it seems like Opal just went ahead and left, I’m assuming you don’t know a lot about it?” 

Asami nods. 

“That makes sense. In that case, I will just come back tomorrow. I’ll get in touch with Jinora so that she confirms to you that I am who I say I am and not a thief trying to rob you.” 

Asami laughs. 

“I know you’re not a thief. I mean, if you were, you would be a really bad one.” 

“Funny, you’re funny.” Korra jokes. 

“Again, sorry that you came here for nothing.”

“I completely understand.” the brunette woman smiles. “Besides, I wouldn’t say that this trip was for nothing.” she blushes and this makes Asami blush as well. 

_ Is she flirting with me?  _ Asami thinks. 

And if she is,  _ why isn’t it bothering me?  _

“Anyway…” Korra says after a while. “It was great meeting you, Asami Sato.” 

“It was nice meeting you too, Korra Waters. Perhaps we will see each other soon?” she teases a little and realizes that her comment could have been seen as an invitation. 

_ I am flirting with her.  _

“I’m looking forward to it!” Korra smiles brightly and gets into her car. “Also, don’t let any thieves come in or Opal will kill you when she returns. She really likes her house.” 

“I won’t!” Asami chuckles and watches Korra go, pleasantly surprised about how their conversation turned out. 

Taking a deep breath, Asami yet again feels that sense of calm and peace that had been evading her for so long. The realization of knowing that there wasn’t something urgent she needed to do was the catharsis she had been unknowingly needing. 

Smiling at the prospect of the next three weeks, Asami notices that apart from Korra, there really was not a lot of noise and movement in the neighborhood. Like Opal had said, there were not a lot of people living in the area. 

Ready to step in, Asami takes notice of an old woman walking with the aide of a nurse. Her face, though peaceful, looked confused, as if she didn’t know where she was going. Yet, when their gazes crossed each other, the old woman gave her a warm smile and nod before continuing on her way. 

Smiling back, Asami closes her eyes, letting the peace she’s experiencing inside come out. 

“So many possibilities.” 

* * *

Driving into the highway, Korra can’t stop herself from thinking of Asami. Not only was she beautiful, but there was a confidence in her that made Korra want to talk to her. She had honestly expected Opal to meet her after the two had agreed on returning Kai’s laptop. Their breakup had not been amicable, and although both of them were her friends, she knew that the breakup had hit Opal harder. 

That, and also the fact that Kai had been cheating on Opal with another woman. 

But it really wasn’t all Kai’s fault. Not to approve of his cheating, but Opal wasn’t in love with him. Ever since she met Opal, she knew that her friend had a hard time trusting others, and almost never confides in others about her troubles and fears. 

Korra considered herself one of the few people Opal truly talked to. 

Yet the moment she gets to Opal’s place, instead of her friend she is greeted by the most beautiful woman Korra had ever seen. 

Which really was something to say. 

The the fact that Asami was here in L.A. instead of London just intrigued Korra more. Could it be that Asami was like Opal and was also trying to step away from her troubles in London? I mean, who else would suddenly leave their life behind to go live at a stranger's house?

Still, it really had nothing to do with her, and Korra shouldn’t get involved. But seeing Asami, talking to her, had got her hooked. And if there was one thing Korra Waters was, it was determined. 

So the moment Asami extended an invitation to return, Korra immediately took it. There was something about the foreigner woman that made Korra want to get to know her. 

She wanted to know more about Asami. 

Taking her phone out, she dials Opal’s number and doesn’t have to wait long before her call is answered. 

“So guess what I did today.” she starts saying. “I went by your place to get Kai’s computer, like we agreed to yesterday. And it turns out that instead of meeting you, I happen to meet this gorgeous British woman who is saying that you’re going to spend the holiday in London.” 

_ “Gorgeous woman?”  _ Opal asks interested and with a chuckle.  _ “You sound like you have a crush.”  _

“That’s not the point!” Korra exclaims. “You left for London without letting anyone know! That was really irresponsible of you, Opal. Suyin will kill you when she finds out.” 

Opal chuckles. 

_ “I’m sorry.”  _ she apologizes.  _ “I just, I don’t know, I needed to get away for a while.”  _

“I can understand that.” Korra promises her. “Just, let me know next time?” 

_ “I will…”  _ Opal promises her.  _ “Also, I will tell Jinora to let Asami know that you’re my friend.”  _

“I think she already knows that, but still, didn’t want to pressure her into letting me in without confirming it first.” 

“ _ Good, Asami sounded nice when we talked and I’m sure she would have politely told you to wait until she talked to Jinora. But really, is she that good looking?”  _

“She’s gorgeous.” Korra repeats. “I honestly haven’t met a woman as beautiful as her.” 

“ _ Interesting…”  _ Opal smirks. 

“There you go with your mysterious ‘I’m planning something’ voice. I didn’t call you to talk about Asami. I called you to talk about you. How is London?” 

“ _ It’s really nice. And Asami’s apartment is beautiful as well. Right in the middle of the city and completely different to my place. I think I needed to feel like there is a lot around me.”  _

“That’s good.” Korra smiles. “I know you really like your house but it is a little secluded.” 

_ “It’s the reason why I can get inspired to do my work. The peace and quietness allows my inner muse to come out.”  _ Opal jokes.  _ “Anyway, it is really late here in London and I want to go to bed so I can start exploring the area.”  _

“Understood.” Korra chuckles. “I know I don’t need to say this again, but take good care of yourself. Whenever you need a friend, you know where to find me.” 

“ _ Thank you Korra.”  _ Opal replies honestly.  _ “I will see you in three weeks.”  _

“See you in three weeks.” the brunette hangs up and tries to concentrate on the music of her car. 

_ “Was that something you composed?” _

_ “It’s beautiful.”  _

Damn it. 


	4. Meeting the Neighbor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feeling a little bored of the routine she was creating at Opal's place, Asami decides it's time to explore the neighborhood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! My family came to spend the holidays with me so I haven't had much time to write. Most probably I won't be able to finish this by the end of the year. Hope you guys had a great holiday!

Asami spent the next three days getting to know Opal’s neighborhood. Unlike where she lived in London, there were not a lot of houses or buildings around her. She had asked Jinora about it one time, and from what the assistant told her, this area was seen as “Hollywood” exclusive. So, most of Opal’s neighbors were celebrities or people from the Hollywood industry who could pay big money in exchange for privacy and luxury. 

That, in turn, had led Asami to ask about Opal and what she did for a living. 

Based on her previous conversation with Korra, the black-haired woman already suspected that Opal was in the film industry. What she didn’t know was that Opal was one of the lead producers from a trailer production company. Turns out, there are companies that specifically dedicate themselves to create trailers for films. The process, based on what Jinora had explained to her, was one similar to the production of a movie, which could include producing and creating special music and sounds for the trailer. 

And Opal was seen as one of the industry’s best. 

With that mystery solved, Asami wasn’t left with a lot to do. Unfortunately, Korra had come by the house when she was away and one of the housekeepers had handed the brunette woman the computer. And although Asami was a little bummed about having missed Korra (for some reason Asami didn’t want to even think about), she determined that if her establishing a friendship with Korra was meant to be, then it would happen by itself. 

With that in mind, Asami decided to just take one day at time and try her best to relax. Which wasn’t very difficult to do in a house that big with so many things to do. She went to the pool, she continued doing her gym routine, she watched some movies. 

In all honesty, Asami was starting to get a little bored of her routine. She was used to being busy, to tinkering inventions and creating schematics in her apartment studio. While the first three days had been needed for her to put herself back together, now she was finding herself missing her busyness. So, to try to entertain herself, Asami started taking walks around the neighborhood. Like Jinora had told her, there were not a lot of houses in the area and hence not a lot of people around. Yet, it astounded Asami to see how much space these houses took and how some of them looked even more majestic than Opal’s. 

But in exchange for such comfort, it seemed like they were all lived in their own little worlds. 

Still, there was one thing that had intrigued Asami (apart from Korra). It was the old woman with the blue dresses that walked by her place with a nurse for the last three days. She always saw them around the same time, walking side by side in what seemed to be a polite conversation. Yet today, it was an hour later than usual and still no sign of the old woman. 

_ Maybe she didn’t go out today because it’s the weekend and her nurse must have the day off…  _ Asami thinks while walking back to Opal’s house. 

Yet, as if summoned, Asami notices the old woman standing on the sidewalk, seemingly confused. 

_ Did she get lost? _

“Excuse me.” Asami asks while getting close to the older woman. “Is everything alright?” 

The old woman gives her a sad smile. 

“I’m afraid to say that I’ve gotten lost on my way home.” 

“I can help you with that. I know where you live.” Asami says and immediately flinches because that sounded too stalkerish. “I mean, you’re my neighbor, so I’ve seen you walk by a couple of times.” she blushes. ‘Anyhow, would you like me to accompany you home?” 

This makes the woman smile at her. 

“I would really appreciate it.” she says and the two start heading back. “And good thing one of us does know where I live.” 

Asami chuckles. 

“My name is Katara Rivers.” the old woman introduces herself. “May I ask the name of my rescuer?” 

“Asami Sato.” she laughs. “And it’s a pleasure to meet you.” she starts looking at the many houses surrounding them. “I know this will seem a little strange…” Asami says. “But from what I’ve been able to see, your house is really beautiful.” 

“Thank you dear.” Katara chuckles. “I’ve lived in it since 1956. During those days, there were only six houses in the neighborhood. Now there are way many and each year they just keep building new ones... That’s why I got lost.” she admits. “I didn’t recognize one of the houses and I was afraid of walking further away.” 

“That is understandable.” Asami says. “I got lost the first two days I stepped out of the house.” she chuckles. 

Katara chuckles as well. 

“Tell me, what part of England are you from?” 

“London.” 

“Claude Rains was born in London.” she tells Asami. “When he played the role of Captain Louis Renault in Casablanca, it really was something.”

“I didn’t know he was from London.” Asami admits. “Though I’ve seen the movie. How did you know that he was from London?” 

“He told me.” Katara simply says.

_ She knew Claude Rains?  _ Asami thinks, getting more intrigued about the woman standing next to her. 

“Well dear, this is me.” Katara says after the two finally arrive to the woman’s house. “Again, thank you so much for helping me.” 

“It really was nothing.” Asami tells her. 

“You know, in movies this would have been our meet cute.” the blue eyed woman says.

“Meet cute?” 

Katara smiles. 

“You know how in a movie you have two characters that are looking for the same thing but apart from that the two have nothing in common?” 

Asami nods. 

“Well, let’s say that they are both looking to eat a hot dog at Central Park, and, coincidentally, both happen to go to the same hot dog stand. Now that isn’t really strange. But what if one of them hates mustard but loves ketchup and the other loves mustard but hates ketchup.” 

Asami chuckles. 

“So imagine the moment the two of them place their order and realize that the other person happens to like that one thing they don’t like... It’s like something clicks. It makes that stranger become more interesting.” Katara finishes her explanation. “That’s the meet cute. Although ours maybe wasn’t as cute as that.” 

Asami laughs, and notices that without realizing it, she had followed Katara all the way back to her front door. When she sees Katara’s hands start shaking while trying to find the right key, Asami decides to offer her help yet again. 

“Let me help you, please.” Asami says and Katara hands her the keys. 

Once she opens the door, the old woman confidently makes her way inside. 

“So, you are in the film business?” the black-haired woman asks curiously while doing her best to not disturb anything. 

“A long time ago. I was an actress.” Katara heads towards the living room and Asami follows her, taking notice of the many medals, trophies and awards that were in the woman’s stands and desks. 

_ Is that an Oscar?! _

This woman is amazing. 

Making her way to where Katara is, Asami watches the older woman get ready to sit down in her couch; a prepared sandwich and soup already on a little table to the side. Probably dinner that had been left for her to eat. Yet for some reason, Asami wasn’t ready to say goodbye to this woman. 

Something was telling her that she wanted to get to know her more. 

But how should she phrase that without sounding strange or weird? There just wasn’t a way to do so. 

“I guess this is goodbye then...” Asami hands Katara back her keys. “I enjoyed our meet cute.” she is ready to just head out.

“I thank you for rescuing me.” Katara smiles and something about the woman’s welcoming and friendly demeanor makes Asami reach out. 

“It was my pleasure.” she tells the older woman honestly, and determined, decides to share with her what she’s thinking. “Can I tell you something strange?” 

“Strange things are the most interesting dear.” Katara encourages her and this makes Asami go for it. 

“You know, I happen to be new in town. And, I don’t know a lot of people…” Asami says to an amused Katara. “So I was wondering, if you’re not busy, perhaps you would be interested in having dinner in me?” 

Katara smiles brightly at her. 

“Busy?” she chuckles. “Darling, I haven’t been busy since 1986.”

* * *

“I’m worried about her.” Bolin says while making his way up to Asami’s apartment. “It’s not like her to miss work for three days in a row.” 

“Well, a lot has happened to her. Maybe she needs this break.” Mako responds but doesn’t stop his brother. 

“Not even Beifong knew she was leaving. And she almost got fired because of that! I know Asami would hate to hear us say this, but the only reason why she wasn’t fired was because of her last name.” 

_ He’s right.  _ Mako thinks,  _ acting that way is not like Asami at all.  _

“Well, that’s why we’re here. To check on Asami and make sure she’s alright.” Mako rings the doorbell and waits for Asami to come open the door. 

After a couple of minutes go by without any kind of response, Mako has to stop Bolin from ringing the doorbell again. 

“Looks like she’s not home.” he tells his brother. 

“But…” Bolin opens his eyes in shock. “What if she has been home this whole time?! What if she can’t open the door.” 

_ What if something happened to Asami?  _ Is what Bolin asks but refuses to say out loud. 

“No way. Asami would never.” Mako says but panics and uses his key to open the door. “Asami?!” he goes right to the bathroom. 

“Sami!” Bolin screams and heads for the bedroom, worried that their best friend was in trouble and had been by herself this whole time. “Sami!” he yells while opening the door. “AHHHHHHH!” 

“AHHHHHHH!” 

“WHAAAAT?! WHAT HAPPENED BOLIN?!” Mako screams while rushing to the bedroom to only stare in shock at the scene in front of him.

His brother, who was now also frozen, was blatantly staring at a naked woman in Asami’s bed. The woman, who had screamed after Bolin opened the door, was blushing and doing her best to get the covers to cover all of her. 

A woman that was definitely not Asami. 

“I…” Bolin stutters. “I thought…” 

“Could you…” the woman asks embarrassed. “You know, give me a minute to get dressed?” 

“OF COURSE!” Bolin yells and pulls Mako out of the room. 

Which makes him finally react. 

“What the hell!” Mako says confused. “Who is that woman? Why is she in Asami’s apartment? Was she sleeping in Asami’s bed?! Was Asami there too?!” 

“I don’t know!” Bolin responds just as confused as he is. “First time I see her. Maybe she’s a thief and she is living in Asami’s apartment. Maybe she has Asami captured somewhere in the apartment and that’s why she hasn’t gone to work and didn’t tell anyone about it.” 

“I am not a thief.” they hear the woman respond while making her way to the living room where the two brothers were. “Nor have I ‘captured’ Asami.” she chuckles and takes a good look at the two of them. “Are you Mako and Bolin?” 

“We are.” Mako responds. “And who are you?” 

“My name is Opal Beifong.” she introduces herself. “And Asami told me that if I ever needed help to contact you.” 

“Asami told you about us…” Bolin smiles. “Then you must be one of her friends!” 

“A very close friend if you’re sleeping naked in her bed…” Mako murmurs to the amusement of Opal. 

“I would say that we are acquaintances more than friends.” Opal chuckles. “Though from what I’ve seen, Asami seems like a really cool friend to have.” 

“The coolest!” Bolin responds. 

_ Acquaintance?  _ Mako thinks. 

“So tell me Opal, where are you from?” Bolin starts asking. 

“L.A.” 

“Wow! I never knew Asami had any friends in L.A.” 

“Like I said, we just met.” 

“I’m surprised Asami is letting someone she just met stay at her place.” Mako says. 

“Well, it’s not like she had a choice.” Opal chuckles. “That’s what the home exchange is about.” 

“Home exchange?” Mako asks confused. “Listen, I don’t know what’s going on, but Asami never told us about you. And, until she gets back, we will wait here with you.” 

“Then you’ll probably have to wait a while for her to get back.” Opal smirks. 

“We can wait. We are done for the day.” 

“When I say a while, I mean she won’t be back for at least two more weeks.” she chuckles and can’t help but smile at the face the two brothers make. 

Opal lived for moments like this. 

“What?!” Bolin and Mako say at the same time. 

“What do you mean she won’t be coming back for two more weeks? Where is she staying if she’s not coming back here?” Mako asks worriedly. 

“She’s staying at my house.” Opal smiles. “In L.A.” 

_ L.A., _ Mako and Bolin think. 

_ Asami is in L.A.  _

They were going to kill her. 

**Author's Note:**

> So, what did you think? Should I keep going?


End file.
